Medical Doctors are the Worst Hypnotists

You go to the doctor because you don’t feel well. You go with the hope that they will be able to help you not only feel better, but provide you something that can cure your pain or symptoms. What you might not realize is the subconscious messages you leave with that can cause you anxiety, a hyper-awareness to your body, and sensitivities to symptoms you didn’t even have before.

Dave Elman is a hypnotist who works with a number of clients helping them experience deep coma-state hypnosis to help them alleviate many symptoms of pain. However, he also works to teach medical doctors about the benefits of hypnosis in the medical field. While he is not a medical doctor, his work is invaluable. Elman in one of his lectures mentions to doctors the power that they have over patients and how they are some of the worst hypnotists in the world. He tells this story:

A patient when in for surgery of her gallbladder that was not longer functioning properly. While she luckily had never experienced discomfort from her gallbladder, the pain she had felt after surgery was incredible. Having been back to the doctors to inspect if there was an infection or something left inside during surgery, she was cleared that nothing was wrong. Feeling dishearted she sought out hypnotherapy to help her with her pain management. What she discovered when she did hypno-regression back during her surgery was not only eye opening for the medical community, but therapeutic in her pain management. What this patient experienced during hypnosis was a detailed account of her surgery. Stating specific details of things doctors had said and did, which were later confirmed to be true. What was uncovered was that even in a state of anesthesia patients are still listening and taking in information from their surroundings. What the patient discovered was this:

During the surgery one of the doctors upon removing the gallbladder stated that the client “would never be the same again.” What the doctor meant was, her gallbladder was in such bad shape she would feel such relief from its removal. However, what the patient under anesthesia heard and associated in her mind was she would never be the same and this had a negative connotation. Upon healing from the surgery, her mind created that reality. In fact she was never the same until after her hypnotherapy session in which they associated what she heard with a new positive perspective.

While the doctor was certainly unaware of the power of his words, it has created a strong movement in the medical community to be wary of what they say to patients.

As a hypnotherapist it is interesting to explain a certain phenomenon that is occurring when a patient enters a doctors office. When a patient goes to see a doctor there is already an anxiety occurring that something is wrong. They are actually experiencing pain and symptoms. However, once in the office patients are bombarded with additional signals from the environment. They see other sick patients, medical devices such as needles that can elicit additional anxious emotions, and they are facing the unknown that something serious might be very wrong with them. With all this information being brought into the mind, the mind can overload causing a patient to become highly suggestible and in a trance state. Patients become suggestible to what the doctor is saying and these statements and suggestions can go into the subconscious mind triggering worry, anxiety, and a hyperawareness of their bodies and symptoms. What one is feeling can be intensified through an acute focus and awareness as the doctor asks questions.

For example the doctor might ask a routine questions such as have you had any rashes or itching along with your symptoms. While the answer is no, but all of a sudden you become itchy. What is happening is your mind is creating psychosomatic symptoms based on a suggestion. Doctors don’t mean to cause this to happen, but they are.

To help you become more aware of your minds mental state in a doctors office, I hope to offer a bit of insight into suggestibility, trance, and hypnosis.

When the mind becomes overloaded you enter into a trance state where you begin to bypass the conscious’ minds ability to deductively reason, rationalize, and use willpower. You become acutely aware of bits or pieces of information leaving out the other parts of a sentence. For example, a doctor might say: ‘You are healthy. However, down the line you may get arthritis.’ All of a sudden a suggestion is implanted that you might get arthritis and you wake up with stiffness and think you have it. Even though maybe it’s just a result from sleeping in a funny way that night. You become hyperaware of aches and pains.

Its key to understand the connection between the mind and body. The mind has a powerful imagination to run away with itself thinking of worst-case scenarios and playing them out. In these times of overwhelm give you self a moment to PAUSE. Snap yourself out of the feeling you and become the active listener. Some tools that can help you break a trance are to stretch, stand up, or even say “SNAP OUT OF IT.” Don’t let your imagination jump down the doomsday well. Utilize the power of your logic, reason, and rationality. While we cant control exterior factors in our lives, we can control the way we respond to them. Allow yourself to be present to you! Speak up. While a medical doctor is certainly the expert in his or her line of work, no one knows you better than you. Knowledge and asking questions gives you the power to make informed decisions and move through the next steps of whatever you may or may not need to do. By asking questions you can gain control back and move forward.

One technique that I teach to hundreds of my clients is what I call the 5 Minute Technique which can help you take hold of a calm, relaxed, and in control mentality anytime and anywhere. Whether you practice it at home or load it to your smart phone or tablet its there when you need it. You can download that recording here.